How to Write Great Content in 2020? Few Tips from Industry Experts

By Caleb Riley

December 2, 2019

605

9 minutes

People visit your website for a reason, so good content brings value to users and gives them a reason to engage eventually turning in to your customers. Good content is not only useful for search engine optimization but also for reaching your potential customers. Here we have listed down some of the few tips for great content writing from experts in the digital marketing industry:

Be the person behind the words

The biggest trend in the content will be that business owners will finally realize that cheap content doesn’t move the needle. I have been burned myself, along with my founder peers, in thinking that a $30 Fiverr writer can accomplish something for my blog. In reality, it was a waste of time, rather than money.

Instead, I think more company owners will resort to writing content themselves. I have decided to write most of the content on our company blog, even though I rarely have the time for writing. The reason is simple – I can share my own experience, which no writer out there can express. I realized that by the time I create a good brief for a writer, I have already spent half the time it takes to create a good article. So nowadays, I do most of the writing myself. It’s authentic and it feels great to be the person behind the words instead of hiring a ghostwriter.

Content to conversion

The biggest breakthrough in content writing in the future will revolve around ROI and proving attribution. Right now, as a content marketer, one of my biggest struggles is proving the value of content and tying a specific piece of content to a conversion or a purchase. The problem remains the same – a reader visits several articles before opting in or making a purchase.

In the future, there will be better algorithms to discern the path that readers take when they interact with website content. This will be crucial because:

It will let us create better content,

It will show CMOs and CEOs what kind of content proves the best ROI, and

How it really impacts their budgets.

Optimize content w.r.t voice search

People are inclined towards voice search. This trend is going higher, and we see it as the future of searches. There is a difference in writing a query and speaking one. The user guides will be written, keeping voice searches in mind. UX content writers have already working on it and started focusing on long-tail keywords.

Share your own insight, spice it up if necessary

Although visual content is on the rise, blogs are still necessary not only for SEO purposes but because people still enjoy reading them. There are a few considerations to take on this matter in 2020. It is extremely recommendable to mix both visuals and written content to make reading much more enjoyable and to provide an added value to the information you are providing in your article.

Some information is better received in written and in the video so it is a good idea to choose what you want to say and using the right channels for it. We all know that content needs to be relevant, fresh, original and well written. The most important trait to keep in mind today is to provide content that generates trust throughout those characteristics.

Storytelling and providing your own insight on the topic you’re writing about are some of the key tools you can use at the moment of writing content today. Share your own insight, spice it up if necessary but avoid drama or being offensive; especially when treating sensitive topics. Not all publicity is good publicity and people are looking for trust more than controversy.

Start paying attention to UX writing

The rise of UX writing has been a huge trend in itself, and one that has only become apparent in the last couple of years. Until now, large parts of websites such as error messages, CTA buttons, and another microcopy, has been seen as an afterthought and is usually added in by a developer at the end of a project. But there’s recently been an increasing shift away from this as people are realizing the importance of ensuring this text is clear, well written and easy to understand.

As UX writing is becoming popularised, there is a danger of copywriters without UX specialism pushing marketing messages within microcopy. This would inevitably undermine the purpose of specifically written microcopy, and leave you in the same boat as when it was provided without much thought. As we head into 2020, I expect that more and more UX teams will start to include a dedicated UX writer, to ensure that all microcopy is perfectly tailored to your UX goals.

Don’t just simply write content

One trend in content writing is the shift to write articles that are engaging and helpful as opposed to ‘simply writing articles’ that are built to rank in search engines. By building to rank, I mean articles either optimized solely for keywords and written using thin and unhelpful content, or articles fleshed out so in-depth and built only for search engines to consider a master guide. The trend is shifting towards writing helpful articles the audience actually wants to read, and won’t feel are too short to answer their question or too long to find what they are looking for.

Content that supports voice search

The biggest trend in content writing right now is the transition towards content that supports voice search. In particular, that means more question and answer formats, more content designed to capture long-tail keyword traffic, and less focus on short, strict keywords. Many of Google’s recent, high-profile advancements in search have related to natural language processing, which means traditional keyword research is losing relevancy to user satisfaction and topical depth.

As customer support transitions towards chatbots and knowledge bases, there is also a greater demand for content that supports those platforms. Having a reliable knowledge base means users can diagnose more issues themselves, rely less on live support staff, and overall have a higher level of satisfaction with the brand.

Regularly share relevant & quality content

Content Marketing is a great way to build your brand, increase your visibility more broadly, raise your profile and attract more clients. Regularly share quality content and to qualify it must be timely and relevant. To generate ideas I look at the calendar to see if there are any natural opportunities based on the season or activities, keep a running list of topics I get asked about by my clients and other business owners and note when I read or hear about something new I want to explore further, a trend, theme or idea that catches my attention.

If it is an issue that affects me or my business then it is likely to be a topic that impacts others too. Once I decide on an idea to write about I may do research on the topic, talk to people for input and just start typing. If I have a unique perspective to share or any advice I think may help others I get it out there via social media or whatever distribution vehicle makes the most sense.

The key is just to pick your platform, it does not matter which ones you choose just pick one or 2 that are authentic to you. It should look and sound like you and the brand you have built. Whether yours is polished or more informal, chatty or academic, humorous or snarky, it is a way for your personality to come through. Whether you are B2B or B2C, key people need to be on LinkedIn so that they can be found easily.

It adds credibility and transparency when you know the people you are meeting or working with knowledgeable people in common. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or Rolodex, it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy. You do not need to blog or be on all social media platforms but make sure you are active on the ones where you are. If your customers do not use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to find you then you do not need to make them a priority.

This advice is not fancy and does not require big budgets but it does take time. It is a smart investment to get this right. Authenticity is the key, it has to be and feel real for it to work.

Write something new every day

The main trends I am seeing and following are a complete shift in the focus of content from writing for search engines to writing for actual human readers. In the past, much of the content on the web was written around keywords and the search engine algorithms quite frankly were not intelligent enough to differentiate good content from bad.

But with AI and the rise of human editors, this is changing rapidly. Users expect much richer content than in the past, so there is an increased focus not only on textual content but on graphical information, video, and other rich content. We are also more focused on providing summaries within our longer content as users are experiencing less and less attention focus.

Do your research

The biggest trend I have noticed is being concise and personal with your content. It’s so easy to write content that is surface-level just to get rankings on search engines. But these pieces do no good for you or the reader when the content isn’t providing what the readers are looking for. By writing more personal content, you’re catering to the needs of readers, so they’ll stick around your site as a trusted source.

Making the content concise will also show that you did your research so the reader doesn’t have to do more, which also keeps them around for more. If you make it personal and concise, you’ll be viewed as a trusted resource, which ultimately builds your credibility as a brand. This will keep readers on your site or coming back when they need more questions answered.

Are you a content writer worrying about goals and meeting deadlines? Use productivity apps to stay on track at all times.

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